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The Epilim compensation case joins a dismal roll call | Jon Robinshttp://www.theguardian.com/law/2011/feb/01/epilim-compensation-case-roll-call
A case by 100 families against a drug company collapsed when legal aid dried up. As the cuts bite, expect more such failures<p>Another one bites the dust. Last week, the legal action involving 100 families seeking compensation on behalf of their children against a multinational drug <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/law/2011/jan/28/legal-aid-withdrawn-birth-defects" title="">came to a premature end</a>. The families, suing over a range of birth defects (spina bifida, heart damage, cleft palates, deformed hands and feet, etc), allege that the manufacturer of the anti-epilepsy drug Epilim was to blame – a claim the company disputes.</p><p>As I have <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/law/2010/nov/29/epilim-legal-aid-flaws" title="">blogged before</a>, the families had the funding rug pulled from under their feet in November last year. In the Royal Courts of Justice today, the families' lawyers finally made it through the courtroom door – but only to formally notify the judge that the legal battle was over. Not, as they put it, &quot;because we have lost our fight but because continuing without legal aid would place our clients at too great a financial risk&quot;.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/law/2011/feb/01/epilim-compensation-case-roll-call">Continue reading...</a>EpilepsyLegal aidLawChildrenPharmaceuticals industryTue, 01 Feb 2011 18:35:50 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/law/2011/feb/01/epilim-compensation-case-roll-callSteve Parsons/PAEmma Friedmann, one of the mothers seeking compensation in the case against Epilim. Photograph: Steve Parsons/PASteve Parsons/PAEmma Friedmann, one of the mothers seeking compensation in the case against Epilim. Photograph: Steve Parsons/PAJon Robins2011-02-01T18:35:50ZThe Epilim case shows the flaws in the legal aid regime | Jon Robinshttp://www.theguardian.com/law/2010/nov/29/epilim-legal-aid-flaws
Families who claim the epilepsy drug was linked to birth defects have few options left after the LSC withdrew funding<p>Earlier this month a legal action involving 100 families seeking compensation for their children collapsed within weeks of the court hearing after a six-year fight. The families in question are suing over a range of claims for birth defects such as spina bifida, heart damage, cleft palates, deformed hands and feet – some claims are in the region of &pound;6m – which they argue are the result of the children's mothers having taken an anti-epilepsy drug when pregnant.</p><p>The Legal Services Commission (LSC), which runs the legal aid scheme in England and Wales, says of its decision to withdraw funding that it &quot;can only spend taxpayers' money where we believe there is a reasonable prospect of success&quot;. Taxpayers can make up their own minds as to whether spending &pound;3.25m over the past six years supporting the litigation only to pull the plug within weeks of the case going to court represents good value for money.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/law/2010/nov/29/epilim-legal-aid-flaws">Continue reading...</a>Legal aidPharmaceuticals industryEpilepsyDrugsLawSocietyUK newsMon, 29 Nov 2010 13:40:52 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/law/2010/nov/29/epilim-legal-aid-flawsZak Waters/AlamyEpilim, the anti-epilepsy drug. Photograph: Zak Waters/AlamyZak Waters/AlamyEpilim, the anti-epilepsy drug. Photograph: Zak Waters/AlamyJon Robins2010-11-29T13:40:52Z